Kawasaki Ka 87 (Army Type 87 Heavy Bomber)
Kawasaki · Japan · first flew 1926 · bomber
The Kawasaki Ka 87, in service as the Army Type 87 Heavy Bomber, was Japan's first modern heavy bomber: a land-based twin-engined parasol monoplane developed from the Dornier Do N.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Parasol wing on splayed struts above a slab-sided, boat-shaped all-metal fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Parasol wing on splayed struts above a slab-sided, boat-shaped all-metal fuselage
- One nacelle on the centreline carrying two propellers, one pulling and one pushing
- Large fixed mainwheels on short struts directly beneath the wing, no floats and no hull
It shares its fuselage and its tandem push-pull nacelle almost exactly with the Dornier Wal flying boat — the difference is underneath. The Wal has a boat hull with stub sponsons; the Ka 87 has a flat-bottomed fuselage and two large wheels.
Specifications
- The Kawasaki Ka 87 (Army Type 87 Heavy Bomber) has a length of 18 m (59 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 26.8 m (88 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 180 km/h (112 mph).
- Typical crew: 6.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The Imperial Japanese Army ordered a replacement for its Farman F.60s from Kawasaki in 1924, and Kawasaki brought in Dornier, whose Do N was a landplane derivative of the Wal flying boat. Versailles barred Dornier from selling military aircraft, so most of the structure was built at Manzell and shipped to Kobe for assembly. The prototype first flew on 19 February 1926 and 28 were built in all.
Variants
The prototype Do N flew behind a Napier Lion; production Ka 87s used Kawasaki-built BMW VI water-cooled V-12s of around 500 hp apiece, mounted back-to-back in a single nacelle above the wing.
Where you'll see it
It entered Army service from early 1927 and flew bombing raids in Manchuria from 1931, with limited use over Korea; crews called it the "slow turtle". It was withdrawn between 1933 and 1935 in favour of the Mitsubishi Ki-1, and none survives.
Related aircraft
- Kawasaki Ki-5
- Kawasaki Ki-32
- Kawasaki Ki-48
- Kawasaki Ki-60
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- Blériot 127
- Boulton Paul Sidestrand
- Letov Š-16
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